The Light of Christmas in times of War
by GRX3m0m
Summary: During Christmas Eve, Commander Ruby Rose recalls the events that led to this war. Leaving the office, she expects to have a lonely Christmas, but she gets something else instead. First try on drama, so it'll be pretty light.


Hello everyone! I've been having this idea of an apocalyptic future where not everyone survived and Ruby has to lead the survivors. Then, I wanted to make a Christmas story, so I decided to combine those two and make a 'not so apocalyptic' Christmas story. It was literally written in a little more than a day, so please forgive some mistakes you may come across.

Feel free to criticize my story, but only if it's about something that can help me improve. Flames who's only purpose is to, well… flame, will be reported and given no more consideration. Let me just say that this is my first try on drama. So without further ado, enjoy the story!

 **THE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS IN TIMES OF WAR**

Ruby was not having a good time. She had so many reports to read, huntsmen to dispatch and many other boring things a leader had to do. The sun had set hours ago, filling the office into a darkness only broken by the light of a dozen candles around the room. Needless to say the atmosphere wasn't really a help at all. There was only one thing keeping her spirits up.

It was Christmas Eve.

Even after everything that had happened the last eight years, events that had caused her cheerful personality to grow darker, she still absolutely loved Christmas holidays. Despite the melancholy she felt at the thought of the loved ones they lost, it was one of the few times the survivors of this war had something to celebrate, something to look forward to; a Beacon of hope.

Looking outside the window, at the small town they had created on the island of Patch, she couldn't help but recall the times she had spent there with her sister. ' _Gods, it seems so long ago,'_ While it was around half her lifetime back and could be considered long, the last few years seemed like an eternity. It felt like her life had only known war and her memories of peace were just a blurry dream. A dream where you didn't have to worry for your life every single day.

A dream where your dear sister was alive.

Yang Xiao Long was the first of their year to fall. Right after the news of Ozpin and Glynda's deaths reached Beacon, the academy itself was attacked. With professor Port and doctor Oobleck as the only faculty left, it fell upon the students to protect their school from the horde of Grimm and the newly named Black Fang. The battle barely lasted a day and it hit Ruby hard. While everyone fought valiantly, their defeat was inevitable. So the only choice left was to leave Beacon. The last time Ruby saw her sister, was when the blonde girl told her to help the wounded Blake and grab the unconscious Weiss and leave, while she covered her and the rest of the student's retreat.

Their plan to escape to Vacuo was short-lived, as they came across Penny leading a group of refugees to Vale. A short information exchange led them to the conclusion that Vale, Vacuo and Mistral had all fallen to the hands of the enemies. Therefore, the refugees from Vale and Vacuo made for the frozen continent of Atlas. Except from the difficulty of finding transportation to cross the ocean, the trip was uneventful, helping the survivors recuperate.

But as soon as they reached the shores of Atlas, they were forced to fight yet again. The full force of the Black Fang army had made a move against the military nation, bringing a large group of Grimm with them. The battle lasted for weeks, with the defenders losing ground by the day, before being forced to retreat to the walls of Atlas Academy.

And on that place, Blake Belladonna died at the hands of her ex-mentor Adam Taurus.

The death of a second team member brought both Ruby and Weiss at the edge of despair. It was with the help of Pyrrha and Ren that they managed to escape Atlas with a stolen plane, moments before its fall. The less than a thousand survivors were chased throughout the ocean, before losing their pursuers and landing on the destroyed island of Patch. After disposing the plane, they hid themselves in the endless woods of the island.

Life was tough for the next few months for the survivors. They had neither supplies nor shelter, most harboring varying wounds from minor to life-threatening and with a low morale. Ruby knowing the lay of the land was probably the only reason they managed to survive and start building their new home. The Black Fang had assumed the plane had run out of fuel and marooned into the sea, earning the survivors six valuable months to regroup.

It didn't take them any longer to form RH, 'Remnant's Hope'. The organization's purpose was to fight the Black Fang and liberate their home from their enemies. Having members from all across the globe, gave them an advantage of mastery in a variety of categories; knowledge in tactical warfare, blacksmithing, engineering etc. By using a hit-and-run tactic, RH managed to disrupt the Black Fang's trade routes and create panic. Taking advantage of that panic, they managed to liberate the city of Vale.

But things went downhill fast.

The Black Fang had opened up the tunnels under Vale and used them to collapse the walls and invite the Grimm inside. And if that wasn't enough, they bombarded the biggest part of the city, creating a second Mount Glenn. Ruby had been on Patch during that time and was horrified by the loud explosions and the smell of smoke. It was a tremendous blow for the survivors; many were killed and as many wounded. One of them was Weiss Schnee.

The years leading to today were a roller coaster. The Black Fang and the RH were equals in power and Ruby found herself growing stronger. Without realizing it, she had climbed the ladder and became Commander of the Vale Division with their headquarters on Patch. Despite having retaken Beacon Academy and half the city of Vale, Patch stood as a sanctuary to those that had found shelter there years ago.

She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"I request permission to enter Commander," Ruby rolled her eyes at the formal speech.

"Come on in Velvet," She answered and Velvet Scarlatina walked inside. Ruby could barely contain her laugher; the Faunus had to be wearing at least three layers of clothes and two cold caps with cloth to cover the ears. It was a well-known fact the girl hated the cold.

"Isn't it about time you call it a day? It's almost 9 o'clock and it's Christmas Eve," She pointed out and there was some reprimand in her voice. That was Velvet for you; always caring for everyone and trying her hardest to keep them happy. Ruby was about to say she had work to do, but Velvet was having none of it "The division won't self-destruct if you take it easy for a couple of days. Fox is making turkey; Coco and Yatsuhashi are coming over and so are Pyrrha and Ren. If you want to, you are free to join us".

Without waiting for a reply, the rabbit Faunus left through the door, leaving a chuckling Ruby behind. She looked outside the window, then at all the paperwork and then at the window again. 'You know what? Screw this!' She thought and stood up, wearing her coat and walking out, locking the door behind her. She walked down the empty hallway and soon found herself feeling the chilling late December air.

A small layer of snow had covered the surface and snowflakes were still falling. White Christmas had always been a rare occasion this far south and it was always a welcoming sight for them. Even at this hour, children were running around, some playing snowball fights and others sliding with small hand-made sledges. As soon as they spotted her, they shouted their name and she found herself surrounded by them.

"Ruby!" One of the tallest ones, which was a bit above her waist yelled. He was Justin and he was 8 years old. He had wild, red hair and blue eyes, along with a smile that rarely left his face. He was the only one among the kids with a weapon, since he had received training from many renowned huntsmen and huntresses.

"Seems like you kids are having fun," She grinned at the round of pouts and protests of 'we aren't kids'. It had always been fun teasing them, but she was also trying to keep them ignorant of the real world.

"Most of us are not kids; we are teenagers!" A girl said and cheers erupted at her defiance. Ruby contained her laugher and took on a fake shocked expression.

"You are? I thought you weren't teenagers until you were 13," Groans greeted that statement, earning another smile from Ruby.

"This might be the case for normal people, but not me," Justin proudly puffed his chest "I am Justin Arc and I am too awesome to stay a kid that long," Ruby couldn't help it; she burst out laughing hard. Justin looked in horror for a second before crossing his arms "Yeah, laugh it all you want, but my mother always says I'll grow up to become the strongest hunter ever!" Needless to say, that only increased her laugher.

"Sorry," She managed to say moments later, clutching her stomach "It's just that you are so much like your father it's funny," She patted his head a couple of times "Tell you what, I'll consider you a teenager when you manage to defeat me in a duel," She winked.

"Cool! Let's go now, I am combat ready!" Justin jumped back and drew his weapon, the common looking sword his father used to fight with.

"Not now Justin, it's been a really long day and I am tired," Justin's face fell "Also, someone's been hanging out with Penny a lot lately," And he grinned once again.

"Of course I do; she is awesome! She has taught me so much and she can do incredible stuff!"

"That she is. I haven't seen her for some time now, so I should probably visit her soon. Say hi to Pyrrha for me!"

With a final goodbye, the kids went back to their games and Ruby resumed her coarse back home. She was considering Velvet's proposal, since she didn't want to spend Christmas alone, but as soon as she opened the door to the small house, something was wrong. Expecting to be greeted by a dark and cold place, she found the warmth of the fireplace and a well-lit house.

"You're late," Chastised a voice and Ruby span around in shock. There stood Weiss, in comfortable clothing and two mugs of a steaming liquid, probably chocolate "Do you know how irritating it is to return to an empty house after a week on a mission? You should have at least come home on time for Christmas Eve, but no, you must always work late!" Weiss went on and on, while a dumbstruck Ruby was trying to realize her partner was back.

"Weren't you supposed to be back the day after tomorrow?" She finally asked, ending Weiss' rattle "And why didn't you and your team report back to headquarters?"

"We pulled two all-nighters in a row to rush through the mission," She answered with a shrug. She sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace and the two mugs on the coffee table. Ruby hung her coat on the stand next to the door and sat on the couch opposite of Weiss "I just got here an hour ago and I thought I'd just 'report' to you here," She yawned and took a ship from her coffee.

"You're telling you haven't slept in two days?"

"And you're telling me I should have spent Christmas in Vacuo? There's a limit to how much Sun I can handle," She lowered her mug and stretched a bit, cracking her shoulders and neck. Ruby walked behind Weiss and started massaging her shoulders.

"You shouldn't push yourself that much Weiss," Her friend's muscles were too stiff and even though massaging wasn't her specialty, Weiss' eyes were closed and she was letting relieved moans.

"I don't want to hear that from you," Came Weiss' quite response. Her partner's hand soon moved to her neck and she let her head fall to give Ruby more skin to rub.

"It's not the same thing. Since I took on the mantle of Commander, I rarely find myself battle. You on the other hand, are always fighting. One slip up could lead to your death".

"Give me some credit, will you?" Weiss' voice was louder than before, but still quitter than normal "You know full well that no one can match me other than Cinder and Adam, and maybe Emerald and Mercury. I am not stupid enough to engage any of them without backup".

"I'm just worried, you know?" Ruby sighed, still massaging her partner's stiff neck "I've lost so many important people in my life. While I still have Team Juniper and Coffee, you are the only family I have left…" They stayed silent for a moment "Promise me that you won't die".

"I can't promise something stupid like that," Weiss brought her right palm to rest her head on "Everyone dies, be it now or later. I can't promise you something inevitable".

"Then can you promise you'll die after me?" Ruby knew she was being stupid, but the reminder of Yang and Blake's deaths had made her emotional. Her mind returned to the bombardment of Vale, where Weiss had been dancing with death for two whole days. Those two days were the worst of her life.

"That's even worst, cause it's selfish. How do you think I'll feel if you die?" Weiss raised her head and looked at Ruby in the eyes, upside down "Let me remind you that _you_ are also the only family _I_ have left," Ruby could feel her eyes water. 'Stupid emotions!' She wanted Weiss to let her head fall again so she could hide it, but her friend didn't. She instead stood up and hugged her.

"Why did the world have to get so fucked up?" She asked between sobs, while Weiss patted her on the back "We were so happy back at Beacon, when all we had to worry about was if we'd perform well on Vytal Festival," She didn't know how long she'd been crying, but when she finally managed to stop, the fire was burning low. Weiss was looking at her in the eyes with a serious expression.

"I can't promise you everything will be all right, or that we'll win at all. What I can promise you is that as long as you need me, I will survive, but I want you to promise me something as well," The determination in Weiss' voice was so strong, that even though Ruby's mind told her she couldn't really promise that, her heart suddenly felt lighter; as if a great weight was lifted.

"Anything!" Was Ruby's answer.

"You do the same, because I need you as well Ruby," Ruby smiled, the path her tears had left still visible. This time it was Ruby that hugged Weiss, so hard that the white haired woman let out a gasp.

"Sure thing partner!" Ruby grinned mischievously and licked Weiss from her neck, up to her ear "Merry Christmas!" She detached the embrace and run outside, ignoring the cold.

"RUBY ROSE!" Weiss shouted as soon as the shiver she felt stopped "GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" And with those words, Remnant's Hope Commander of the Vale Division was chased off into the snow by her pissed off named Vice-Commander, friend, partner and above all, sister.

 **The End**

Thank you for reading the story! I really hope it was up to your expectations and didn't get you too down (says the awesome drama writer /enter sarcasm here# xD). As about what happened to the people whose fate was left unanswered (Jaune and Nora among others) feel free to use your imagination! Maybe they died, maybe they were on missions or something entirely different ;)

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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